- Deal sets the bar high for the largest luxury retail automotive acquisition of the year, and is the largest in Ohio history
- “Unicorn” luxury campus deal is one of the most significant private-to-private acquisitions in U.S retail automotive history
- Deal includes Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati, Porsche, BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Volvo, Lotus, MINI and Volkswagen brands
- Transaction keeps longtime private Ohio-owned business private and in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dave Cantin Group (DCG), a leading mergers-and-acquisitions advisory company to retail automotive groups and their owners, announced today that the Greater Cincinnati-based Jeff Wyler Automotive Family has acquired Midwestern Auto Group (MAG). Ferrari, Lamborghini and 12 other primarily premium and luxury brands have changed hands in the historic $500 million (total acquisition value) automotive acquisition. The single-campus acquisition is among the largest franchise automotive transactions by a privately held company, and the largest overall auto retail transaction to date in 2026. The new name for the group will be The Wyler Collection.
Dave Cantin Group served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Midwestern owner Mark Brentlinger as he embarked on his succession plan, tapping Dave Cantin Group to find the right buyer to carry forward Brentlinger’s nearly four-decade-long automotive legacy. DCG advised Brentlinger for nearly two years, building his team to manage legal (Stephen Dietrich and Brooke Sizer from Holland & Knight) and private wealth management (Joseph Simmel from Goldman Sachs). Dave Cantin Group CEO Dave Cantin explained, “Succession is more than managing the transaction; it’s about having the experience and relationships to bring the right partners together to meet all our clients’ needs. Holland & Knight and Goldman Sachs were critical to protecting the long-term legacy for Mark.”
David Solomon, Goldman Sachs CEO, commented, “Our relationship with Dave Cantin Group is important to Goldman Sachs, and we look forward to partnering with them well into the future.”
Transactions like Midwestern Auto Group are exceptionally rare in the automotive industry. Dave Cantin said: “A single-site campus offering 14 premium and luxury franchises almost never becomes available. Identifying a private operator capable of acquiring the full enterprise, meeting OEM requirements and preserving the legacy of what Mark built resulted in an extremely limited pool of potential buyers. The Jeff Wyler Automotive Family was the ideal fit in every regard.”
Founded in 1973, the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family operates 23 dealerships representing approximately 50 franchises across Greater Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, and Columbus. With the addition of the 14 premium and luxury brands acquired from Midwestern Auto Group, Wyler will operate 64 total franchises and significantly expand its premium and luxury portfolio.
“Adding Midwestern’s 14 premium and luxury franchises significantly expands our presence in the region and ensures that this unicorn campus in the U.S. auto landscape remains privately held by owners who live and invest in the region,” said David Wyler, president and CEO of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, one of only eight dealership groups in the country to own both Ferrari and Lamborghini franchises. The Wyler family is also a minority owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead this organization,” Brentlinger said. “My priority was finding a successor who would protect the culture, the people and the brand relationships that have made MAG special. Keeping this business rooted in Ohio through this transition was an added benefit. The Jeff Wyler Automotive Family is the right steward for the next era, and I’m grateful to the Dave Cantin Group team for guiding this complex process with integrity and care.”
Wyler’s acquisition of MAG is the second-largest luxury automotive retail transaction in the U.S. since early 2025, and it ranks among the top three largest Midwest dealership transactions of all time by total enterprise value.
About Dave Cantin Group
The Dave Cantin Group is a leading automotive M&A advisory company specializing in acquisitions, divestitures, intelligence and other advisory services. The company is the M&A services provider of choice for North America’s top automotive dealership groups, advising on approximately 40 transactions annually. DCG is differentiated by its advisory approach, long-term client relationships and commitment to market intelligence tools that inform client strategy.
Through its M&A intelligence division, DCG produces automotive insights and delivers timely market intelligence including the Market Outlook Report (MOR) and the Inside M&A studio show and podcast with CBT News. DCG’s proprietary AI-enabled platform Jump IQ anchors its advisory services to help retail automotive dealers make smarter data-driven M&A decisions.
The company’s nonprofit initiative DCG Giving funds child and adolescent cancer research and treatment across the United States and supports other charitable causes.
For more information, visit www.davecantingroup.com.
Media Contact:
Katie Merx
Dave Cantin Group
[email protected]
+1 313.510.5090
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9fb73c57-d316-40ee-b89c-506d06ec347f